Also receiving four mentions each were “Juno,” “The Diving Bell and the Butterfly” and “The Savages.”

Lisa Kudrow and Zach Braff revealed the nominations Tuesday morning at the Sofitel Hotel in West Hollywood. The lighthearted duo set the tone for the noms as darker pics “A Mighty Heart” and “Lust, Caution” trailed with three each. Dramedy “Rocket Science” also landed three.

Noms for best feature are: “I’m Not There,” “Diving Bell,” “Juno,” A Mighty Heart” and Gus Van Sant’s latest, “Paranoid Park” — an IFC pic that debuts next year but screened at Cannes.

With four nominations and two wins, Van Sant has been a Spirit favorite since 1989’s “Drugstore Cowboy.” IFC marketing veep Ryan Werner said the writer-director “exemplifies independent spirit” with his history of personal and experimental filmmaking.

New this year is the Robert Altman Award, shared by the eight-member “I’m Not There” ensemble (including Blanchett, Christian Bale and Heath Ledger) as well as director Haynes and casting director Laura Rosenthal. Altman was a perennial Spirit nominee and winner for 1984’s “Short Cuts.”

Writer-director Zoe Cassavetes is up for first screenplay for “Broken English.” Contenders for the John Cassavetes Award, which was named for her father and honors films made for less than $500,000, are “August Evening,” “Owl and the Sparrow,” “The Pool,” “Quiet City” or “Shotgun Stories.”

Scribes competing for screenplay honors include Ronald Harwood (“Diving Bell”), Jenkins, Fred Parnes & Andrew Wagner (“Starting Out in the Evening”), the late Adrienne Shelly for “Waitress” and Mike White for “Year of the Dog.”

Fox Searchlight was the clear winner of the day with 11 mentions, thanks mostly to its dysfunctional-family pics “Juno” and “The Savages.” Paramount Vantage, Miramax, Focus Features and the Weinstein Co. trail with five bids each.

Missing this year is a breakout commercial success like 2006’s “Little Miss Sunshine.” Of the best feature contenders, “A Mighty Heart” has made the most coin, with a $9 million domestic take. Among the entire nominee pool, Fox Searchlight’s “Waitress” is the B.O. leader with $19 million.

Kathleen Kennedy, producer of “Diving Bell” and foreign language nom “Persepolis,” hopes Tuesday’s announcement goes a long way for her indies, especially with “Diving Bell” bowing Friday. With movies like “Diving Bell,” she said, “You worry if people are going to show up or not. … Nominations like this help generate some kind of awareness.” Kennedy also noted that the Spirit Awards are imperative if smaller movies are to distinguish themselves from the crowd, especially as Oscar buzz builds.

Jenkins echoed this sentiment, saying the nominations could make audiences give indies like “The Savages” a second look. “They provide visibility for smaller movies,” she said.

Film Independent will host the awards — which have gone green this year — one day before the Oscars, on Feb. 23, in a tent on the Santa Monica beach. A telecast will air on the Independent Film Channel live (and uncensored) at 2 p.m. PT.